


Mechanisms

by PreDead_Ghost



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst and Romance, F/M, Feel-good, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:02:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27498406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PreDead_Ghost/pseuds/PreDead_Ghost
Summary: Jessica Anderson is a mechanic from before the nuclear apocalypse, she comes to find Nick Valentine in Diamond City. Nick has made the commonwealth Jess' home again.
Relationships: Female Sole Survivor/Nick Valentine, Nick Valentine & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 7





	Mechanisms

“Dammit Danny, you can’t just lock me out of Diamond City! This is my home!”

A muffled response came from the intercom in front of the young woman, angrily yelling before the gates of Diamond City as Jessica approached, the girl turned, eyes glancing Jess up and down. 

“Good afternoon…” Jess said hesitantly, her mechanic jumpsuit loose against her skin. 

The girl leaned towards Jess, whispering so the intercom could not hear her, “Hey, you want into Diamond City right?”  
Jess nodded about to say something but the woman interrupted, shushing her.

“Oh, a trader from Quincy eh? I see Merna is waiting to trade your stock huh? C’mon Daniel, you don’t want to hear that crazy Merna yell at you for missing out on all this stock.”

“What, I’m…” Jess began, objecting to the outright lie that the young woman was placing in Jessica’s mouth, but again the girl swiftly cut her off, stomping down any further objection from Jess. 

The intercom started up again, a defeated man sighing into the microphone, “Fine Piper, I’ll open the gates.” 

As static finished the man’s surrender the green gates of Diamond City split apart allowing the two women to enter the city.

“After you I suppose,” Jess said, defeated. 

“Thank you.”

Jess could see from Cambridge that Diamond city had been made from the skeleton of the once great stadium, a stadium that 200 years ago was going to hold a red sox game, that she and Nate were going to see as an anniversary present. A small pain tugged at her heart but she shook it off to focus on the city ahead of her. 

Speaking of the city ahead of me, why was that girl locked out? The answer to her question marched from an opening from the stands, when his eyes landed on the girl in the red leather coat his face turned from friendly to hostile. 

“Piper! Who let you in?” The man’s voice boomed through the concrete room, “That defamatory writing in your paper, I’ll have everything in that shed scrapped for parts!”

Jess stepped in worrying for the small girl’s safety, “What’s going on here? Why are you threatening her?”

Piper snickered, “Tell me newbie, do you support freedom of the press? My article was supported through my long investigation, and he’s threatening to destroy my career because he doesn’t like the results.”

“Of course I respect freedom of the press, but what is this about?”

“Piper there is no need to involve a new citizen in this mess, excuse me miss, what are you looking for here in the great Diamond City?” 

“Actually I’m looking for my son, is there someone I should see about looking for him, I’m assuming the head of the security department.”

Piper sighed, sadness on the edge of her voice, “I wouldn’t hold your breath. Diamond city doesn’t have the greatest policy on helping victims like you. But if you stop by Nick’s he might be able to help you.”

“Why would the security not listen to me.”

The old man stepped in, “They’re very busy people, we can’t spend three guards on every person that comes in here claiming to have lost a child.” The man adjusted his suit and began speaking again, “If you need anything that can actually get done, come up to my office, Mayor McDonna by the way.”

Piper took Jess’s hand and started walking towards the path through the stands, “Come with me to my office and we can talk properly. I don’t want the Institute to hear us.”

Jess allowed Piper to take her into the city away from the mayor who was angrily watching us leave, “Good day I suppose,” Jess said as Piper pulled her into the city. 

Dark grey light flooded in between the stands, revealing Diamond city, a light rain had started dotting the concrete paths that make up the city. Piper stood solemnly taking in the view, “Home sweet home.”

Jess nodded letting Piper move a step before her, she knew the city better. Piper stopped outside a shack-like house, a sign over the printing press read ‘Public Occurrences,’ a little girl stood handing out papers. 

“Hey there Nat, how’re the papers going?” Piper asked, leaning down to reach the kid’s eyes. 

“Pretty good, where are you going Piper?”

“Just inside, I want to talk to the newbie here,” Piper motioned for Jess to follow her inside the shack, “C’mon.”

“Before you do ma’am, you should grab a paper. The safety of Diamond city depends on the people being informed,” the little girl ran up to Jess handing her a large pack of papers, the headline read ‘The Synthetic Truth’. Jess put the bundle of papers in her bag noting that she’ll read it later. 

“Thanks,” she said before stepping into the shack.

It was well lit and homey, despite how small the spot was. There was a ladder so a small writing desk and cot, below was a room divided by a wooden wall. The common room had a small black couch and a coffee table with unfinished papers scattered across it. 

“Tell me what happened, you mentioned that you were looking for someone,” she pulled out a small notebook to dot notes onto, “Tell me everything.”

“My name is Jessica Anderson, I’m from vault 111. A cryo facility, I was frozen from before the bombs fell.” Piper nodded, Jess waited a second before continuing, “My husband was holding my 10 month old baby, Shaun. These people came in to shoot my husband and take my son.” Her heart didn’t want to continue, it was starting to get easier. Jess was able to say more than she did to Preston, but it still hurt.

Piper leaned back on the wall behind her, “And you think someone here can help.” Piper shook her head, eyes closed, “However common this story gets, it never gets easier to hear. I mentioned Nick before, he’s a detective here in Diamond city. Follow the neon pink signs behind Moe’s stand, you can’t miss it. He’ll be worlds ahead of what the city security can do. And hey, when you get him on the case, why don’t you come back for a real interview? I’ll have a few more questions next time, rather than this time. Get some leads and hey, I might come follow you up and help you.”

“Thank you Piper, I appreciate the help.” 

As Jess left the shack the rain had gotten worse, glancing at her pip-boy she noticed that it was early evening, 6:35 p.m. Making her way through the town, Jess dodged around people and vendors, in the far corner of the marketplace a neon sign illuminated the dark rain in pink light. 

Admiring the shiny colour, Jess stood in front of the sign, ‘Nick Valentine’s Detective Agency’. She turned down the path, pink light shining on her back, and boots sloshing in the growing rain puddles. Following the neon light led Jess to a small office, genly she shook off some of the rain under the rain hatch in front of the office door.

Small bells made a light ringing sound as Jess entered the agency. The light sound of a radio, papers moving, and rain pattering on the metal roof made the ambience of the small detective agency. A woman stood in the back of the room rummaging through files, putting old files away, when she heard the bells of Jess entering she turned with a worried look on her face. ‘Oh great, more setbacks.’

“Ah, another stray coming in from the rain. You’re welcome to stay until the rain lets up but we’re closed.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll come back later then,” Jess said, stepping back. 

“No, permanently closed. I’m sorry, Nick hasn’t come back in two months, no one knows if he’s okay.”

‘Shit, my only lead could be dead…’ “Do you know which direction he went in, I could at least recover his body to properly bury it, if not help him.”

“You… you’d do that for someone you don’t even know?”

“I need his help… and if I can help someone, I’d like to.” 

“I… I don’t know if you’d really be able to help him, but I hope… hope is what we need, isn’t it? He left towards an empty vault in a subway station, here I’ll mark it on your pip-boy. Please, be careful… I don’t want to get anyone else killed.”

Jess held the girl’s two hands, trying to comfort her, “I promise, I’ll do everything I can to come back with Nick.”

“It’s Ellie by the way, thank you.” Ellie squeezed Jess’s hands before returning to cleaning the office.

‘Just a few more steps. I hope Nick is still alive, and I hope Piper is right about him being able to help me.’ Jess took a deep breath before stepping out into the rain, ‘Just a few more steps Shaun, I’m coming kido, you too Nick. Both of you just need to stay alive for a little while longer.’


End file.
